New Caledonia is a French island in SW Pacific Ocean, with 18.575 km2 land area and 240.000 inhabitants, half of them are indigenous people Kanak. When looking at pictures on the internet, New Caledonia seems like heaven on Earth. But not all is, as it appears on first sight. In the name of huge profits, activities are carried out on this dream island, which hold enormous environmental and social consequences. In the South of the New Caledonia (the main and biggest island) damage to the environment is being done, which hugely affects marine life, atmosphere and consequently also affects life of the people who live in that area. In 2010, a Brazilian company Vale built a 6 billion worth nickel mine near the Prony Bay city in the South province of the biggest New Caledonia island. They are supposed to make 40.000 tons of nickel per year (and some cobalt), because New Caledonia supposedly holds 25 % remaining nickel reserve on Earth. Nickel is acquired through the hydrometallurgy technology, which is so-called “unclean chemistry” and unfortunately still remains the most common method for metal extraction. It is a process of metal extraction, where sulfuric acid under pressure extracts nickel and cobalt from the ore, and naturally, a lot of waste is created during this process (some of the waste is also radioactive) and is released into the ocean. This waste, which is released into the ocean, causes a big marine pollution, pollution of the coral reef and all of the life in it, subsequently endangering people’s lives, because ocean life is their primary source of living. We also must not forget about mercury air polluting, which is the result of coal power plants. The island has the biggest lagoon in the world and the second longest coral reef, numerous plant species and therefore prides in some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. But the natural environment is not the only one in danger, the local fishermen and island inhabitants, who depend on marine life for food and livelihood, are also endangered. This is a very current issue and for now the only ones dealing with it are local people, who unfortunately are not achieving desired results. The nickel mine has had a couple acid leaks since 2010, due to which they had to stop working, and the mine is producing a giant loss overall. The French government actually had to give them a loan in 2016. Kanak people fight on, despite little result. They formed an activist group in 2002, called Rhéébù Nùù (“Eye of the Country”) and they have all kind of activities, public meetings, protests, they send open letter to politicians and try to achieve legal measures at courts. They’ve also issued and appealed with the French minister of Ecology, to legally protect the environment, but the minister later on removed the appeal and explained his decision with a statement, that cooperation with the mining company is important and that they have to find a solution together. In 2008, the Vale company and Kanak people signed a Pact for Sustainable Development of the Big South, the mining company dedicated some funds for local projects, but their activities remain the same, with zero regard to the environment and people in it, and they continue with their old practice undisturbed.

Uničujoče rudarjenje niklja v Novi Kaledoniji

Nova Kaledonija je francoski otok v JZ Tihem oceanu, velik 18.575 km2, naseljuje ga 240.400 prebivalcev, polovico katerega sestavljajo prvotno ljudstvo Kanak. Ob ogledu slik na internetu, Nova Kaledonija izgleda malodane kot raj na Zemlji. A vse ni tako kot se zdi na prvi pogled in tudi na tem sanjskem otočju se na račun velikanskega dobička izvršujejo dejavnosti z gromozanskimi okoljskimi in družbenimi posledicami. Na jugu Nove Kaledonije (glavnega in največjega otoka) se namreč dogajajo posegi v okolje, ki močno vplivajo na morsko življenje, ozračje in s tem seveda posledično tudi ljudi, ki živijo na tem področju. Leta 2010 je brazilsko podjetje Vale, blizu mesta Prony Bay v južni provinci največjega otoka Nove Kaledonije, odprlo 6 milijard vreden rudnik niklja. Pridelali naj bi kar 40.000 ton niklja letno (nekaj malega tudi kobalta), saj naj bi se na Novi Kaledoniji nahajalo kar 25 % preostale zemeljske zaloge niklja. Nikelj pridobivajo s hidrometalurgično tehnologijo, ki velja za »umazano kemijo« in na žalost še vedno ostaja najpogostejša metoda za pridobivanje kovin. Gre za proces ekstrakcije kovin, pri kateri žveplova kislina pod pritiskom izloči nikelj in kobalt iz rude, pri tem postopku pa seveda nastajajo odpadki (nekateri izmed njih so tudi radioaktivni), ki jih rudnik nato izpusti v morje. Ti v morje odvrženi odpadki močno onesnažujejo morje, koralni greben in vse življenje v njem, s tem pa tudi življenje otoškega prebivalstva, za katere je morsko življenje poglavitni vir življenja. Ne smemo pozabiti niti na onesnaževanje ozračja z živim srebrom, ki je posledica kurjenja premoga rudniških elektrarn. Otok se ponaša z največjo laguno na svetu in drugim najdaljšim koralnim grebenom, številnimi endemičnimi rastlinskimi vrstami in tako poseduje nekatere izmed najbolj raznolikih ekosistemov na Zemlji. V nevarnosti pa ni zgolj naravno okolje, temveč tudi lokalni ribiči in otoško prebivalstvo, za katere je morsko življenje edini vir dohodka in hrane. Gre za zelo aktualen problem, s katerim se zaenkrat spopadajo predvsem domači prebivalci, vendar brez konkretnih rezultatov. Rudnik niklja je tako od leta 2010 zabeležil že nekaj uhajanj kislin, zaradi katerih so za nekaj časa celo zaprli obratovanje, na splošno pa rudnik dela z velikansko izgubo. Leta 2016 so dobili celo posojilo od francoske vlade. Ljudstvo Kanak pa se kljub vsemu bori naprej. Leta 2002 so ustanovili aktivistično skupino Rhéébù Nùù (“Oko države”), v okviru katere izvajajo aktivnosti, javne sestanke, proteste, pošiljajo odprta pisma politikom in se na sodiščih trudijo doseči pravne ukrepe. Pozvali so tudi francoskega ministra za ekologijo, da bi pravno zaščitili okolje, vendar je kasneje minister predlog umaknil in podkrepil svojo odločitev z izjavo, da je sodelovanje z rudarskim podjetjem pomembno in da morajo skupaj najti rešitev. Leta 2008 sta podjetje Vale in ljudstvo Kanak podpisala Pakt za Trajnostni Razvoj Velikega Juga, rudarsko podjetje je namenilo nekaj denarja za lokalne projekte, vendar njihovo delovanje še naprej ostaja isto, z ničelnim ozirom na okolje in ljudi, ki živijo v njem, ter nemoteno še naprej izvaja stare prakse.

Location

https://www.google.si/maps/place/Goro,+New+Caledonia/@-21.4014221,164.7308257,380693m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x6c283000414f8fbf:0x66dfe70f5f704118!8m2!3d-22.286508!4d167.012142

Environmental impact

  • Air pollution
  • Water pollution
  • Land degradation (e.g. drought, soil contamination, erosion and desertification)
  • Biodiversity loss – Ecosystem destruction
  • Depletion of natural resources (fossil and mineral, forest, water, etc)
  • Waste, waste disposal, and toxicants
  • Hazards related to extreme weather events – natural disaster
  • Alteration of landscape aesthetics and built heritage

Ethical/ legal issues

  • Life and personal security
  • Health and well-being
  • A clean and prosperous environment and a safe and pleasant habitat
  • Equality before the law and protection by the law (including marginalized and discriminated groups because of colour, race, gender, disability, descent, economic status, age, etc.)
  • Opportunities to work and leisure
  • Indigenous land, culture and rituals

Information sources & materials

Online books and newspaper, magazine, encyclopedia, or blog articles

Links to images, online videos, documentary movies, etc

Social Media exchange

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=comit%C3%A9%20rh%C3%A9%C3%A9b%C3%B9%20n%C3%B9%C3%B9

Contributor(s)

Anja Kos

Content repository

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